BETEX 2017 Kicks Off May 3, 2017
BETEX, the biannual Belize Tourism Expo, is scheduled to take place between May 3-5, 2017 in Belize City. The two-day event brings together local and international tourism professionals with the objective of promoting Belize as a world-class visitor destination. The theme of the 2017 BETEX will be “Savor Your BELIZE Experience.”
The first BETEX was held in 1996 and has been held every two years since. BETEX is jointly organized by the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), and private stakeholders in the Belize tourism industry. More than 350 tour operators, hotel owners, and tourism service providers are expected to participate in the 2017 BETEX event. The BETEX event will be open to the public, offering travelers and locals alike a great opportunity to learn more about Belize and the top attractions, lodgings, and visitor services on offer in the country. BETEX is the only travel show held in Belize that brings together travel professionals to get to know Belize to help better sell the country as a travel destination.
Added benefits of attending BETEX include:
- a) One on one appointments with your desired local Belize tourism partners.
- b) “Post Expo Tours” (FAM trips) to your Jungle, Oceanfront and Combination Jungle and Sea tourism partners.
“We look forward to participating in the 2017 BETEX,” said Larry France, Marketing Manager at the Chabil Mar resort in Placencia, Belize.
“Chabil Mar representatives will be attending the BETEX tradeshow in Belize City to meet travel agents and wholesalers that offer tourism services and products specializing in Belize, particularly the Placencia Peninsula. Then there is the additional benefit to all of us when the agents/wholesalers are being given the opportunity through the ‘Post Expo Tours” to meet and greet all of our staff, on site, at Chabil Mar during the Placencia FAM. There’s nothing quite like having that first-hand experience and knowledge of the resorts you represent.”
BETEX will bring together travel and tourism professionals who have helped make Belize one of the hottest vacation destinations in the region. Lonely Planet, the world’s leading publisher of travel guides and books, recently released their top 10 destinations for budget-conscious travelers in 2017 that featured Belize as the top destination to visit in Central and South America. The Lonely Planet list focused on the growing trend of eco-tourism in the Placencia Peninsula, highlighting how electric-powered golf carts are the leading form of transportation in the area.
Another important driver of increasing tourism to Belize is the New York Times, one of the most widely read and respected newspapers in the United States. In their 2017 report of the 52 top destinations to visit, Belize was highlighted for its many tourism attractions, including swimming and snorkeling the Belize Barrier Reef, visiting ancient Maya ruins such as Xunantunich, and sampling the wide variety of affordable street food found in every town and city in the country.
